    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 16, 2004]
    [Pages 2551-2558]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in West Palm Beach, Florida
    October 16, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for being
    here. It lifts our spirits that so many came out to say hello on a
    Saturday afternoon. Laura and I are grateful that
    you're here, and we appreciate you being here.
        We're here to ask for your vote and your help. As Jeb mentioned, we're coming close to voting time, and it's
    time to go to your friends and neighbors and remind them they have a
    duty in this country to vote. And when you get them headed to the polls,
    tell them, if they want a safer America, a stronger America, and a
    better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back
    in office.
        I'm going to give you some reasons to put me back in office today,
    but perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more years. When I asked her to
    marry me, she said, ``Fine, I'll marry you, just as long as I never have
    to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you got a
    deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. She's given a
    lot of speeches, and when she does, the American people see a warm,
    compassionate, great First Lady.
        I'm proud of my runningmate. I admit, Dick Cheney doesn't have the waviest hair in the race----
        Audience members. Laura! Laura! Laura!
        The President. Dick Cheney is a great Vice
    President.
        I'm proud of brother Jeb. You know, you can
    determine the character of a person when times are tough, and times are
    really tough for you all here in Florida--not one hurricane but four.
    Jeb stepped up, as did a lot of other people, including, I hope, the
    Federal Government to your satisfaction, to provide help for people who
    hurt. But you know what we saw in those storms was the great character
    of the people of Florida, neighbor loving neighbor, neighbor helping
    neighbor. There's no doubt in my mind that the people of this State
    showed the people of the world that there's great character amongst you.
    And I'm proud of you, and I want to thank you for doing everything you
    can to help rebuild this State.
        What an honor it is to be sharing the stage with Jack
    Nicklaus. He gave me a chance--I asked for a
    few putting lessons. [Laughter] He said, ``Your game is beyond repair.''
    [Laughter] But I'm proud to have his support, proud for him--to be able
    to call him friend.
        I also want to thank Congressman Mark Foley,
    who is with us today. I appreciate you being here, Congressman.
    Congressman Clay Shaw and Emilie
    Shaw are with us today. Thanks for coming. Tom
    Gallagher is with us today. I appreciate him

    [[Page 2552]]

    being here. I want to thank all the other statehouse officials and local
    officials.
        But most of all, I want to thank the grassroots activists who are
    here. I want to thank all the volunteers who are getting ready to walk
    the vote across not only Florida but all across our country today. See,
    what's happening is, we've got people all over the country heading out
    into neighborhoods to knock on doors and putting in a good word for the
    Bush-Cheney ticket. Some volunteers are watching on the Internet right
    now, and I hope they're stretching for their walk. [Laughter] I want to
    thank them for their hard work. With your help, with their help, we're
    going to win a great victory in Florida and win on November the 2d.
        In the last few years, the American people have gotten to know me.
    They know my blunt way of speaking. I got that from Mother. [Laughter] They know I sometimes mangle the English
    language. I got that from Dad. [Laughter]
    Americans also know I tell you exactly what I'm going to do, and I keep
    my word.
        You know, I enjoyed the debates against my opponent, and they showed stark differences between his views and
    mine. We have different records. We have very different plans for the
    future. My record is one of reforming education, of lowering taxes, of
    providing prescription drug coverage for our seniors, improving homeland
    protection, and waging an unrelenting fight against the ideologues of
    hate.
        My opponent's record is 20 years of out-
    of-the-mainstream votes without many significant reforms and results to
    show for it.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. These records are important. They are important
    because our country faces challenges. And the next President must
    recognize the need to lead and reform. On issue after issue, from jobs
    to health care to the need to strengthen Social Security, Senator
    Kerry's policies fail to recognize the
    changing realities of today's world and the need for fundamental
    reforms.
        See, when I came into office, the stock market had been in serious
    decline for 6 months. The American economy was sliding into a recession.
    To help families and to get this economy growing again, I pledged to
    reduce your taxes. I kept my word. The results are clear. The recession
    was one of the shallowest in American history.
        Over the last 3 years, our economy has grown at the fastest rate as
    any in nearly 20 years. The homeownership rate in America is at an
    alltime high. Farm and ranch income is up. In the past 13 months, we
    have added 1.9 million new jobs. The national unemployment rate is 5.4
    percent, lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Your
    unemployment rate is 4.5 percent. This economy is moving forward, and
    we're not going to go back to the days of tax and spend.
        To make sure quality jobs are created right here in America, we've
    got to make sure America is the best place in the world to do business.
    That means less regulations on our job creators. That means we've got to
    do something about these lawsuits that threaten small businesses that
    are creating most new jobs.
        To create jobs in America, Congress needs to pass my energy plan.
    It's a plan that encourages conservation. It encourages the use of
    renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. It encourages clean coal
    technology. It encourages the exploration for natural gas in
    environmentally friendly ways. To make sure this economy stays strong
    and people can find work, we must become less dependent on foreign
    sources of energy.
        To create jobs, we need to reject economic isolationism and open up
    markets around the world for U.S. products. We open up our markets for
    goods from overseas, and that's good for you. If you've got more choices
    in the marketplace, you're likely to get that which you want at a better
    price and higher quality. So, rather than

    [[Page 2553]]

    shutting our markets, I'm saying to countries like China, ``Treat us the
    way we treat you.'' Americans compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere,
    so long as the rules are fair.
        To create jobs, we've got to be wise about how we spend your money
    and keep your taxes low. My opponent has his
    own history on the economy. In 20 years as a Senator from Massachusetts,
    he's built up a record of a Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter] He's
    voted to raise taxes 98 times.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Think about that. He's been
    in the United States Senate for 20 years. That's about five times a
    year. [Laughter] That's a pattern. [Laughter] That's an indication of
    what's going to come. See, he can run from his record, but he cannot
    hide.
        He's now promising not to raise taxes on
    anybody who earns less than $200,000 a year. The problem is, to keep
    that promise he would have to break almost all of his other ones.
    [Laughter] He's promised $2.2 trillion in new spending. That's with a
    ``T.'' And yet his plan to pay for it is to tax the rich. But you can't
    raise enough money to tax the rich to pay for 2.2 trillion. There's a
    tax gap between his promises and what he can raise. And guess who
    usually has to fill the tax gap.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Yes. Let me say something else about the rhetoric of
    taxing the rich. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason: to
    slide the tab and stick you with the bill. We're not going to let the
    Senator tax you; we're going to carry Florida
    again and win in November.
        When I came into office, our public schools had been waiting for
    decades for hopeful reform. Too many of our children were shuffled
    through school, year after year, without learning the basics. I pledged
    to restore accountability to our schools and raise standards and end the
    soft bigotry of low expectations, and I kept my word.
        To build a more hopeful America, we must have the best prepared and
    most highly skilled workforce in the world. Most new jobs are filled
    with people--by people with at least 2 years of college, yet one in four
    of our students gets there. So that's why we'll fund early intervention
    programs in our high schools to help at-risk students. We'll place a new
    focus on math and science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous
    examination before graduation. By raising performance in our high
    schools and expanding Pell grants for low- and middle-income families,
    we will help more Americans start their career with a college diploma.
        When I came into office, we had a problem in Medicare. Medicine was
    changing; Medicare was not. For example, Medicare would pay tens of
    thousands of dollars for a heart surgery but would not pay a dime for
    the prescription drugs that can prevent the heart surgery from being
    needed in the first place. That was not fair to our seniors, and it was
    not fair to the taxpayers. I pledged to bring Republicans and Democrats
    together to strengthen and modernize Medicare for our seniors, and I
    kept my word. Seniors are getting discounts on medicine. Docs are being
    treated fairly. Rural hospitals are being reimbursed. And beginning in
    2006, all seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under
    Medicare.
        We have more work to do. We have more work to do to make sure health
    care is available and affordable. We need a safety net for those with
    the greatest needs. I believe in community health centers, places where
    the poor and the indigent can get primary and preventative care, places
    where people can get the help they need without burdening the emergency
    rooms of our hospitals. In a new term, we'll work to make sure every
    poor county in America has a community health center. We'll need to do
    more to make sure poor children are fully subscribed in our program for
    low-income families.

    [[Page 2554]]

        We've got to do more to make sure health care is affordable. Most of
    the uninsured work for small businesses. Small businesses are having
    trouble affording health care. To help our workers get the health care
    they need, we must allow small businesses to join together so they can
    purchase insurance at the same discounts big companies are able to do.
    We will expand health savings accounts so workers in small businesses
    are able to pay low premiums and can save tax-free for a health care
    account they manage and call their own.
        To make sure health care is available and affordable, we must do
    something about the junk lawsuits that are running good doctors out of
    practice and running the premiums up. By forcing doctors to practice
    defensive medicine, medical lawsuits cost the Government about $28
    billion a year. That means they cost you $28 billion a year. The
    lawsuits cost our Nation's economy anywhere from 60 billion to 100
    billion dollars a year. They drive up insurance premiums, which drives
    good doctors out of practice. You cannot be pro-patient and pro-doctor
    and pro-plaintiff-attorney at the same time. You have to choose. My
    opponent made his choice, and he put a
    personal injury trial lawyer on the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I have made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors.
    I'm standing with the patients. I'm for medical liability reform--now.
        My opponent says he has a health care
    plan.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. My opponent has a health
    care plan. It's a plan for bigger and more intrusive Government. The
    other day in the debate, he said, ``The Government has nothing to do
    with it.'' He was talking about his health care plan. I could barely
    contain myself. [Laughter] Of course, the Government has things to do
    with it. The facts are, 8 out of 10 people who get health care under
    Senator Kerry's plan would be placed on a Government program.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Eight million Americans would lose their private
    health insurance, and most would go on Medicaid. That is a Government
    program. Senator Kerry claimed his plan would
    help small businesses. Those who've studied his plan call it an
    overpriced albatross which would saddle small businesses with 225 new
    mandates.
        I have a different view of health care. I'm not for increasing the
    Federal role in health care. I want to make sure health decisions are
    made by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
        I've set out policies that move America toward a positive and
    optimistic vision. We're headed toward an ownership society in America.
    There's a saying that no one ever washes a rental car. [Laughter]
    There's a lot of wisdom in that statement. [Laughter] When you own
    something, you care about it. When you own something, you have a vital
    stake in the future of your country.
        That's why we're encouraging entrepreneurship. Every time a small
    business is started, someone is achieving the American Dream. We're
    encouraging health savings accounts so people have the security of
    owning and managing their own health care account. We're promoting
    homeownership. I love it when more and more people from all walks of
    life open up the door where they live and say, ``Welcome to my home.
    Welcome to my piece of property.''
        In a new term, we'll take the next step to build an ownership
    society by strengthening Social Security. Our Social Security system
    needs fixing. First, let me talk to those who are on Social Security
    today. You might remember the 2000 campaign when they said in these TV
    ads, ``If George W. wins, you will not get your check.'' I won, and you
    got your checks. You will continue to get your checks. The problem in
    Social

    [[Page 2555]]

    Security is not for those on Social Security today or baby boomers like
    me.
        The problem is for our children and our grandchildren. People are
    understandably worried about whether our children and grandchildren will
    have Social Security around when they need it. For their sake, we must
    be bold and think about how to reform Social Security. For our
    children's sake, we must strengthen Social Security by allowing younger
    workers to save some of their payroll taxes in a personal savings
    account that they call their own and that the Government cannot take
    away.
        My opponent wants to maintain the status
    quo when it comes to Social Security. He's against the Social Security
    reforms I just discussed, and he's just--against about every other
    reform that gives more authority and control to individuals. On issue
    after issue, from Medicare without choices to schools with less
    accountability to higher taxes, he takes the side of more Government
    control. There is a word for that attitude. It's called liberalism.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He dismisses that as a
    label, but he must have been thinking differently when he told a
    newspaper, ``I am a liberal and proud of it.'' As a matter of fact, the
    nonpartisan National Journal magazine did a study and named him the most
    liberal Member of the United States Senate. That takes hard work.
    [Laughter]
        I have a different record and a different philosophy. I do not
    believe in big Government, and I do not believe Government should be
    indifferent. That is called compassionate conservatism. I believe in
    policies that empower people to improve their lives, not try to run
    their lives. So we're helping men and women find the skills and tools
    they need to prosper in a time of change. We're helping all Americans to
    have a future of dignity and independence, and that is how I will
    continue to lead our Nation for 4 more years.
        In a time of change, some things do not change, the values we try to
    live by, courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. We stand for a
    culture of life in which every person matters and every being counts. We
    stand for marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society.
    We stand for the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference
    between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        My opponent's words on these issues are a
    little muddy, but the record is real clear. [Laughter] He says he
    supports the institution of marriage, but he voted against the Defense
    of Marriage Act, which my predecessor
    signed into law. He voted against the ban on the brutal practice of
    partial-birth abortion.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He described the Reagan
    years as a time of moral darkness.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my
    opponent sits on the far left bank. He can
    run, but he cannot hide.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. The most solemn duty of the American
    President is to protect the American people. If America shows
    uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward
    tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
        Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we have
    fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power,
    but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is
    clear. We're defending the homeland. We're transforming our military.
    The All-Volunteer Army will remain an all-volunteer army. We're
    strengthening our intelligence. We're staying on the offensive. We will
    strike the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at
    home. We will spread freedom and liberty. And we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding. Think about the world as it was some
    3\1/2\ years ago.

    [[Page 2556]]

    Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida. Pakistan was a transit point
    for terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist
    fundraising. Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Iraq was a
    dangerous place and a gathering threat. And Al Qaida was largely
    unchallenged as it planned attacks.
        Because we acted, because the United States led, Afghanistan is free
    and an ally in the war on terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorist
    leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests; Libya is dismantling
    its weapons programs; the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom;
    and more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates
    have been brought to justice. Because we acted to defend ourselves, more
    than 50 million people are now free, and that makes us more secure.
        Think about what happened in Afghanistan. I want the youngsters here
    to understand the significance of what took place in 3\1/2\ short years.
    It wasn't all that long ago that the people of that country lived under
    the barbaric regime of the ideologues of hate. They lived in a period of
    darkness. Young girls were not allowed to go to school. Their mothers
    were pulled in the public square and whipped if they didn't toe their
    ideological line of these people. Because we acted to secure ourselves
    and to remove Al Qaida's ability to train, the people of Afghanistan are
    free. They went to the polls. They went to the polls to vote for
    President in the millions. The first voter in Afghanistan was a 19-year-
    old woman. Freedom is on the march. The
    people of Afghanistan no longer live in darkness. They now live in light
    because of democracy.
        And we're making progress in Iraq. The people of Iraq will have
    elections in January. Think how far that society has come from the days
    of torture chambers and mass graves and brutality. No, we will stand
    with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, because when America gives its
    word, America will keep its word. And we will stand with those people
    because we understand free societies in the Middle East will be hopeful
    societies which no longer feed resentment and breed violence for export.
    Free governments in the Middle East will fight the terrorists instead of
    harboring them. Freedom will help us keep the peace we all want.
        So our mission is clear. We'll help the countries train armies so
    that the people of Afghanistan and Iraq can do the hard work of
    defending their democracies. We'll help them get on the path of
    stability and self-government as quickly as possible, and then our
    troops will come home with the honor they have earned.
        It is a great honor to be the Commander in Chief of a great
    military. And we're a great military because of the character of the
    people who wear our Nation's uniform. I want to thank the veterans who
    are here today for having set such a great example for those who wear
    the uniform. I want to thank the military families who are here today
    for their sacrifices.
        We will make sure that our troops have all the resources they need
    to complete their missions. That's why I went to the United States
    Congress and asked for $87 billion of supplemental funding in September
    of '03. It was a very important request. We were there to support our
    troops in harm's way, and I received great bipartisan support for my
    request. As a matter of fact, the support was so strong that only 12
    Members of the United States Senate voted against funding for our troops
    in combat, 2 of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people
    of this startling statistic: Only four United States Senators voted to
    authorize the use of force and then voted against funding for our
    troops--only four--two of whom are my opponent
    and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!

    [[Page 2557]]

        The President. So they asked him why--you
    might remember the most famous quote of the 2004 campaign, when he said,
    ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, right before I voted against
    it.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He's had several
    explanations since then of his vote. One of them was, ``The whole thing
    was a complicated matter.'' There's nothing complicated about supporting
    our troops in harm's way.
        Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of Senator Kerry's vote against funding for our troops. My opponent's many
    and conflicting positions on this issue are a case study into why his
    contradictions call into question his credibility and his ability to
    lead our Nation. In September 2003, as the $87 billion funding package
    was being debated, Senator Kerry said on national TV, ``It would be
    irresponsible to abandon our troops by voting against it.'' Just one
    month later, he did exactly that irresponsible thing, and he abandoned
    our troops in combat by voting against the funding. What happened to
    change the Senator's mind so abruptly in one short month? His opponent
    in the Democrat primary, Howard Dean, was
    gaining ground as an antiwar candidate. Senator Kerry apparently decided
    supporting our troops, even while they were in harm's way, was not as
    important as shoring up his political position.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. At a time of great threat to our country, at a time
    of great challenge to the world, the Commander in Chief must stand on
    principle, not on the shifting sands of political convenience.
        There are big differences of opinion about how best to lead in this
    world. Senator Kerry proposed that we should
    pass a ``global test'' before we defend ourselves.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. The problem is with that ``global test,'' the
    Senator can never pass it. Remember what
    happened in 1990. The United Nations Security Council passed a
    resolution supporting action to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. The international community was united.
    Countries throughout the world joined our coalition. Yet, even after
    United Nations approval, in the United States Senate, Senator Kerry
    voted against the authorization for the use of force. If that coalition
    didn't pass his ``global test,'' nothing will pass a ``global test.''
        During the debate, you might remember he
    said that removing Saddam Hussein was a
    ``mistake.'' He actually said he would have done it differently by
    supporting another United Nations Security Council resolution.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Precisely what Saddam Hussein wanted. He wanted the world to look the other way. If
    my opponent had his way, Saddam Hussein would
    not only be sitting in a palace in Baghdad, he'd be in Kuwait. The world
    is better off with Saddam in a prison cell.
        Listen, I'll continue to work to build strong alliances to keep our
    coalition strong. I talked to Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday on Air Force One as I was heading from Iowa to
    Wisconsin. Alliances are important. Friendships are important in this
    dangerous world. But I will never turn over America's national security
    decisions to leaders of other countries.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I'll tell you
    what I mean by that. One of Laura and my best
    friends or closest friends in the international scene is Prime Minister
    Koizumi of Japan. That doesn't sound like
    much until you think about the fact that we were at war with them 60
    years ago. Japan was a sworn enemy of the United States of America. My
    dad fought against the--our dad fought
    against the Japanese. I'm sure your dads and granddads probably did as
    well. They were a mortal enemy.
        Yet, after we won in World War II, Harry S. Truman, President of the
    United States, believed in the transformational power of liberty. He
    believed that liberty could change an enemy into an ally. There

    [[Page 2558]]

    was a lot of skeptics about that in America then, and you can understand
    why. Why would you want to work with the enemy? People lost lives, had
    their families turned upside down, were wondering why we even cared
    about a former enemy. But fortunately, enough citizens and the President
    believed in the power of liberty. And today, I sit down with Prime
    Minister Koizumi, as a result of Japan
    being a democracy, talking about the peace we all want.
        Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly
    elected leader of Iraq. They'll be talking about the peace in the Middle
    East, and our children and our grandchildren will be better off for it.
        I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for
    their freedom. I believe that women in the Middle East want to live in a
    free society. I believe moms in the Middle East want to raise their
    child in a free world. I believe all these things, because freedom is
    not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to
    each man and woman in this world.
        Extending freedom means confronting the evil of anti-Semitism.
    Today, I signed the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004. This law
    commits the Government to keep a record of anti-Semitic acts throughout
    the world and also a record of responses to those acts. This Nation will
    keep watch and make sure the ancient impulse of anti-Semitism never
    finds a home in the modern world.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
    expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time
    that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and the deep faith in the
    values that makes this a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that era when one--that week when one
    era ended and another began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the
    ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were
    workers in hardhats there yelling at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever
    it takes.'' I remember trying to console people, and a guy grabbed me by
    the arm, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I
    wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect our country.
    I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
        Four years ago, when I traveled your great State, I made a pledge
    that if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and the
    dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With your help, I
    will do so for 4 more years.
        Thanks for coming. God bless. On to victory. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:20 p.m. at the Sound Advice Amphitheater.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; professional
    golfer Jack Nicklaus; Emilie Shaw, wife of Representative Clay Shaw; Tom
    Gallagher, chief financial officer, Florida Department of Financial
    Services; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime Minister Tony
    Blair of the United Kingdom; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of
    Japan.